Hyena, Cackling at the Moon
by obsessionpersonified
Summary: “My God. What happened to her?” “She was found in the alley beside her apartment. Aparently ate several dozen rats alive before the police found her, screaming her head off.” Batman summed the report up quietly. A girl loses herself to her Beast.
1. Chapter 1

The sounds of a battle were nearby, and curious, she sauntered over, still munching on the herb-roasted chicken leg she held. Her talons were already licked clear, and this time her hair remained spotless. Dayher could be such a nuisance, screaming over every little blood smear. She was more careful this time. Around the block was where the battle took place.

An odd, white man with grass-green hair and a purple suit laughed maniacally as he systematically destroyed a figure in the shadows. She found herself giggling with the maniac, the laughter infectious. The shadow leapt to life, seemingly unharmed by the peppering of loud bullets. She frowned, missing the smell of blood. The metal-like aroma was the best after a night of fun. The laughing man wasn't laughing anymore, but looking around quickly. He caught sight of her in the shadows and motioned at her.

Out of no where a man-thing grabbed her, one arm around the waist, the other around her mouth.

"Ha, ha! See, Bat-breath? I am a conventional at heart. So, while you save the damsel in distress I shall make a fond farewell and-" The laughing man stopped laughing when she was brought into the dim light. His mouth dropped and his eyes widened.

Growling low in her throat, she easily snapped the wrist holding her mouth and kicked right up, over her shoulder the slam the soft white-tan boot into the man-thing's face. A satisfying crunch sounded, and she wrapped an ankle around his. With a jump she had him flat on his back with a crack and her sprinting past the Laughing man, the Bat-thing, and into an alley.

Stupid man-thing! She ranted in her head. If Dayher found out about this, she would not be pleased, no, not at all. Dayher hated lying, especially when she didn't even know the truth.

Without warning, a strong hand clasped about her waist, lifting her, up, and up and up. She, who was extremely afraid of heights, clutched what turned out to be the Bat-Thing. Her panic subsided, even though they were flying from wire to wire, when she caught scent of him. Leather and darkness, she decided a moment, later. He smelled of Leather and darkness. Rubber, muscle, sweat, soap, chemicals from the exploding wire-toys he used to help him fly. Odd, she thought, that a bat needed wire-toys to help him fly. Maybe his wings were broken. Or maybe, he never used the wings, so they weren't strong enough. Unable to help herself she took a deep breath at his neck, closing her eyes in bliss.

This was a suitable mate.

Then she shook those thoughts out of her head. Dayher would not be pleased. So she growled instead of humming in pleasure, and began squirming against his iron hold.

"Stay still or I'll drop you." His voice was soft, but held steel and she immediately stopped, remembering their height. After a moment of false-flying, the Bat-thing set them on a sky-building top. Hissing deep in her throat she scuttled away from him.

After putting a great deal of distance between them, she studied him. Black, rubber and leather armor, with a belt that held a great many surprises. He talked softly into a wrist thing a moment, before turning to her.

"So, another cat-lady?" He asked, and she imagined the question was filled with disdain. She narrowed her eyes and mutinously stayed silent. Cat? She knew of no such cat-lady. Cats were arrogant animals, always primping. Superior only to humans and those fawning stupid canines. Her hips hit the ledge and she looked over. Many tree-distances high. She began thinking quickly.

With a determination that characterized her, she turned to leap down. She'd barely went two feet when one wire-thing wrapped about her legs and tugged her to an abrupt stop. Wriggling, as if foiled, she expertly undid the knot. When Bat-thing scaled down beside her, she glared at him, before quickly wrapping the wire around his torso and latching onto his wire. Thus incapacitated she gave the Bat-thing a grin.

"My name's Hyena." She allowed voice husky and sensual. The she pressed the release on the wire-thing and slid the rest of the way down, before taking off into the night.

It was another glorious night, Hyena thought easily, and then sighed in pleasure. Dayher was getting used to the change, even coming along, if only in her dreams. She was sprawled on top of a cemetery gate post, satiated and calmed after rabbit-hunt-chase-and-eat, her favorite pastime. She'd avoided the main part of the city, mainly to stop Dayher from saying she was crazy and also avoid the Bat-thing. So far, so good.

A scream interrupted her siesta, and Hyena frowned.

She trailed the sound to the cemetery where a man-thing was trying to mate with a woman-thing. The woman-thing cried and screamed and tried to get away. Hyena then noticed the woman-thing was a cub. Growling low in her throat, she narrowed her eyes. With a yipping cry she charged, sending the man-thing flying. He knocked his head on a stone and stopped moving. The girl-cub was sobbing, metallic blood seeping from between her thighs. Also, from the wounds on her shoulders from the sharp metal that the man-thing hit her with. Fake claws, she thought, like the Bat-things fake-flying.

She knew this because the metal claw was sticking out of her arm. Blood pooled around the wound, which stung like a bite. Snarling she ripped the fake claw out and, ignoring her pain, kneeled beside the girl-cub. To calm her she purred deeply in her throat, stroking her long hair. The girl-cub quieted.

Hospital. We need to get her to a hospital

Dayher! Dayher was talking inside her.

No, Hyena answered No city. City ask question. Girl-cub not make it.

You've got to find someone to help! Dayher insisted. Hyena nodded, agreeing. Then she took off, speeding out of the cemetery and through the city.

Find battle, find Bat, Hyena figured. And here was battle. Or the remains anyway. The Bat-thing was talking into his wrist. Hyena closed the distance between them. Without warning a sharp Bat-toy flew out and slammed into her cheek with enough force to bruise on impact. Yipping under her breath Hyena cradled her injured cheek.

"Fine thanks Bat-Thing. Hyena show girl-cub. Man-thing mated, and too young. Cemetery." Hyena insisted. Human language was a bit beyond her. Bat-thing frowned.

"What?" He asked. Hyena snarled in annoyance.

"Girl-cub. Girl-cub, too young to mate. Taken, mated by bad man-thing. Fake metal claws bit deep. Much blood. Come help." She explained again.

"A girl was… raped?" He translated in a husky dark voice. Hyena cocked her head.

Raped. Yes she was raped. Dayher revealed. Hyena nodded.

"Come, come Bat-thing. Girl-cub weak." Hyena began trotting quickly, leaving Batman to follow her. She got it back to the cemetery in less time, around twenty minutes since she left. Hyena kneeled beside the girl-cub. Still living.

"You did this?" Bat-thing was checking the pulse of the man-thing.

"Not him Bat-thing. Girl-cub need help. Yes, Hyena knocked him off girl-cub. He hurt her. Bleeding. Blood. Weak." Hyena motioned to the girl-cub with a black taloned hand. Bat-thing came over, kneeling. He flipped a black box open.

"Gordon. I need an ambulance at the Crawford cemetery immediately. A young girl was raped. She's in bad shape." Bat-thing said. Hyena cocked her head and watched him.

"And the perp?" Gordon asked after sending the nearest ambulance.

"Dead. Knocked against the headstone." Bat-thing paused. "She most

likely kicked him off."

"Good for her. It'll be there momentarily. Gordon out."

Bat-thing stood a rippled movement of black cloak. He studied the Hyena girl who seemed to be absorbed in picking off the dried blood from her skin.

"Are you helping me, or against me?" He finally asked. She looked up at him, cocked her head as if listening to something, and then shrugged.

"Hyena not understand human-things. Evil, some of them. Not evil others. All very confusing and Hyena merely wants to… be. To hunt rabbit and lie under the moon and please Dayher. To be… Hyena. If bad man-things hurt girl-cubs, Hyena will help. But, why look for battle that is not Hyena's? Human-things need to fight, or they'll get weak. That's just life." Hyena shrugged again.

Bat-thing looked her over as if she were not right, and then turned away.

~_*_~

Bruce watched the video record of Hyena, as she explained her stance on good and evil for the fifth time.

"Master Wayne, who is Dayer?" Alfred asked from beside him. Bruce frowned.

"What if its not Dayer, but Dayher like two entities?" He asked. Alfred nodded.

"Yes, and Hyena is a primitive side." Alfred finished. "But what could have driven a person to split their personalities so?"

"I'm not so sure. Look, her entire body was changed, not just her temperament. Believe me, those claws are real." Bruce denied freezing the screen on a full-body image.

"What about Joker's attack on the city a month ago? Master Wayne that was when he let his hyenas attack the populace. If they bite someone and they had disease on their mouths…" Alfred trailed off.

"So, my negligence has created another super-villain." Bruce brooded. Alfred snorted, and he looked up, shocked.

"Horse shit. Beg your pardon, Master Bruce, but it's not your fault that her blood reacted, nor is it your fault that Joker attacked. You were there five minutes after it started. All this brooding and blaming can only lead to self-destruction." Alfred reminded him, before taking the tray and leaving. Bruce turned back to the monitor.


	2. Chapter 2

~_*_~

"Michelle! Wake up you lazy ass!" A book sailed across the room and toward the girl with her head slumped on the desk. Just as it was about to hit her, her hand reached up and caught it.

"I'm awake." Came the muffled reply from the lump of girl.

"You better be, there are police here to see you." She called back. Michelle slumped backward, looking at the official uniform in front of her roommate. Sitting up, she straightened the mess of her hair and smiled.

"What can I do for you Commissioner?" She asked. Gordon smiled down at her.

"We're doing a check-up on all who were injured by the hyenas. Seems there is a disease going around."

"That happened months ago though." Michelle frowned, but Gordon shrugged.

"You know the beaurocracy." He shrugged it off. Michelle smiled despite her reservations and obligingly revealed the wound on her shoulder which was no more than a scab-soon-to-be-scar and the three scratches on her face.

"Doctor said their healing nicely and perfectly normal. For hyena bites that is." Michelle smiled.

"Thank you miss, we'll be in touch. Oh, if you wouldn't mind…?" He held out a camera.

"No problem." Michelle gave an overly happy smile as he snapped the picture.

"Have a nice day miss" He disappeared.

Do not like fat man. Smells like Bat-thing Hyena told Michelle, in her head where she rested during the day.

Curious that they'd send the Commish on a silly little thing like a check-up Michelle replied evasively, rubbing the mark on her shoulder.

Do not trust also, Dayher? Maybe Blue-men not send. Hyena said slyly.

Who then? Michelle asked sarcastically.

Bat-thing Hyena settled again in her mind to let Michelle mulled that over. Michelle made her way to the shower and while she stood under the steaming hot water she thought. Finally she curled up on her bed, ready.

Hyena? She called. Drowsily, Hyena appeared in the mirror next to the bed where Michelle was on her bed.

Yes, Dayher?

If Bat-thing- Batman rather, is after us, why should we wait?

Really? Hyena's amber eyes glowed feral-like as she smiled with sharp teeth.

Yes, really. Are you ready for a little bit of a hunt, Hyena?

Always, Dayher

~_*_~

Hyena let her head fall backwards, glorying in the night. Warm breeze, big moon-disk, many firefly sky-things, and a delicious hunt. She frowned. So far the hunt had been less than productive. She raced all over Gotham and not one battle, not hide or wing of Bat-thing.

Hyena

Yes Dayher?

Best way the catch the Bat is to cause trouble

Trouble, Dayher?

Yes, go free the animals at the zoo, break into a jewelry store, deface public property, and kidnap a cub, that sort of thing

Kidnap? Like, raid? You want to raid things? Hyena sounded excited.

Yes, raid. Go raid a house.

Yay! I like you like this Dayher!

Hyena flung herself from the rooftop, catching herself on her way down. She hunted about before she found what she was looking for. Twins, two girls with black hair. They were oriental and around the age of six. Hyena grinned and tapped on the window. Two sets of brown eyes opened.

~_*_~

"Very nice Rice-cake!" Hyena clapped as one of the twin girls twirled in a very expensive kimono. She giggled, and her sister who Hyena renamed Rice-pad slipped into another kimono and copied her. Hyena, with an adult kimono open around her robe-like, joined in. Then she saw a flash of darkness to her right. Without breaking stride she grabbed the girls and pulled them to the corner of the building. Batman stepped down as Hyena dangled the girls very close to the edge.

"Hyena." Batman dipped his head to her.

"Bat-thing. Okay my little Rice-lings. You'll have to go back now." Hyena turned to the girls.

They groaned in disappointment, before they hopped down and moved around Batman. They picked up two backpacks filled to the brim with Hyena's plunder and skipped down the stairs back to the orphanage.

"Dayher said the best way to find Bat-things is have them find you." Hyena said, slouching to dangle her limbs above the city.

"Why did you want to find me?" He asked voice husky and dark.

"Ah, now we think you are backwards. Wasn't it Bat-thing who sent Commish to find Hyena?" She asked, lying on the building's side. "You wanted to find us, here we are."

"I wanted to find Dayher. To get you back together, to cure you." Batman began. Hyena looked genuinely confused.

"Why? Hyena does nothing wrong, except this and this was only to find Bat-thing. Dayher likes Hyena. Doesn't Dayher?" Hyena looked scared for a moment, and then her expression eased. "Yes, Dayher likes Hyena. Why cure? Why make together? We happy."

"It's not natural." He began again but Hyena laughed.

"And dressing up like a bat is?" But Hyena's voice was smoother, with no animalistic huskiness. It was Dayher's voice. Hyena frowned and shook her head. "Hyena and Dayher are still confused about us and we need sleep now."

Hyena moved to the edge again, before she wobbled a little and fell, headfirst toward the street. Batman jumped and in seconds had the passed out girl in his arms. As he landed he watched her hair lengthen and loose thickness, changing to a single color. For a moment her body almost made the conversion to human before it suddenly zapped back to hyena mode. She groggily opened her eyes and focused on him.

"Hello Bat-thing" She said groggily. "We spent all energy hunting Bats that we didn't hunt rabbity-bits and Hyena is hungry."

Batman took this to mean she needed to be fed to keep the transformation. He swung her into his dark embrace and began a determined march to the Batmobile. She groggily looked about, confused.

A moment later she focused odd, yellow eyes on him.

"Where does Bat-thing take us?" She asked, almost to herself.

"To a Doctor." He answered.

The change was so fast he didn't see it coming. One moment she was lax in his arms, the next she was upright, snarling and hissing at him. His chest burned where she ripped threw his armor with those talons.

"Liar! Betrayer! Foul-Bat-thing!" She growled, and strange to say, her yellow eyes filled with tears. "Knows nothing of trust, of loyalty!"

With that last curse she ran of into the night.

~_*_~

Bruce Wayne scanned the paper, reading headlines of Joker and Harley Quin. But no Hyena. It had been a week and still no Hyena. Not on the streets, nor any news of her at all. It was disturbing to say the least.

The doorbell rang, and Bruce looked up, frowning.

"Are we expecting?" He asked Alfred. The butler looked as confused as he felt.

"No sir. Commissioner Gordon phoned not half an hour ago to cancel breakfast." Alfred disappeared from sight in the uncanny way only servants can. Bruce lifted his coffee and took a sip, only the slam it down when Alfred cried out for him. He stood and ran over to the entrance hall and then froze, amazed.

Alfred barely held up a curvaceous girl, twenty years old at most, who looked, horrible. Her eyes lifted, a pleading gray that swiftly turned venom yellow.

"Foul Bat-thing." Hyena hissed from the girl's mouth before she faded and the girl fainted.


	3. Chapter 3

~_*_~

Michelle groaned and wished fervently that the Sahara desert would leave her mouth. She was so thirsty. Her mouth was dry, her throat felt like sandpaper and her eyes felt so gummy she couldn't open them. Groaning, she lifted her hand and weakly rubbed them.

Then tried not to piss herself when a steady hand wiped her eyes with a cool, scented towel. They left the towel there and pressed down, as if to say, 'don't move'. Michelle stayed put as the sound of water being poured soothed her senses. She was guided into sitting up and cool water pressed to her lips. In truth it had a twist of musk melon which only made it even more thirst quenching.

"Slowly now, Young Miss." A calm, soothing, British?, voice urged her, so she took shorter sips and drained the glass. It was taken out of her hands and she pulled away the wet towel. She was lying in... well, the lap of luxury. Down comforter, dimmed lights, silk satin, velvet and all that jazz. Even a butler.

"Please tell me this isn't some shaherazada shit." She groaned. The butler laughed.

"I doubt it miss. You rang the bell and passed out." He explained, collecting the empty cup and towel and standing.

"Where am I?' She asked hesitantly, tossing the covers aside.

"Master Bruce Wayne's Manor in Gotham, young miss. Master Bruce will receive you in the library. It is down the hall to the left and seven doors on the right." He bowed sharply and left.

'Master Bruce' was brooding in a wing backed chair staring out the window. He was handsome, well, if one liked tall, dark, rich, well-built multi billionaire socialites. That type.

"Mr. Wayne?" She asked. He jumped, and then grinned widely at her.

"Ms. Brown? I'm sorry, we had to go through your wallet. I don't know many women without a purse." He apologized coming forward to shake her hand. She nodded and a little stiffly allowed him to seat her.

"How long have I been out?" She asked curiously.

"About a day, I have a doctor in here and you've been hooked up to an IV for most of that. You were severely undernourished." He looked her over. "You are feeling better, yes?"

"Yes, very much so." She frowned and shook her head. "Did I say anything? Why I was here?"

"You don't remember?" he leaned forward.

"Not... not really. I mean, I remember calling in sick and feeling horrible, and getting up and leaving. I think I called someone. But I don't remember why." She shook her head, confused and a little panicked. Bruce nodded.

"Well, you're welcome to stay if you-" He offered, but she put up a hand immediently and shook her head firmly.

"No! I mean, no, I really can't impose. I... I need to get home." She frowned a little, seeming lost and confused. Then she nodded. "Yes, I need to get home. Could you call a cab for me?"

"Nonsense, Alfred will take you home." He gave her a firm, uninterested smile. Her returned smile was hesitant and lost.

~_*_~

"The address Alfred?" Batman asked from inside the batmoble. Alfred sighed.

"Programmed in already, Master Bruce, but , sir, if you don't mind me saying... Well, she is just a young girl, are you positive?" He asked. Alfred had found himself liking the cheery girl far more than he suspected.

"No, I'm not positive, that's\ why I'll stake out her place tonight. If nothing happens then we will know for sure, won't we?" Batman returned. Alfred sighed again and the screen went blank.

~_*_~

Michelle gasped, bent over as pain wracked her body. She stumbled through the living room and into her bedroom, falling onto the bed in a trembling mass. Letting out panting whimpers she turned to the mirror. Hyena was right there, crouching on the bed furthest from her.

"Hyena." She gasped, before another pain spasm ripped through her. They were hot and fiery, burning up her insides. When it lessened she met the venom-yellow eyes in the mirror again. "W-what's wrong with me?"

"You must relax Dayher. To stiffen is to feel pain." She answered as her hand reached out to caress her shoulder comfortingly. Michelle nodded, uncurling her body and trying not to tense up as another spasm hit her squarely. She noticed the pain was briefer than its predecessors.

"What is it?" She got out of her dry, aching throat. Hyena bit her lip.

"Dayher feels... changing-pains." When Michelle didn't seem to understand, Hyena growled a bit in annoyance at the language barrier. "Dayher feel change-pains like... girl -to-woman, birth-change, first-mate change. Dayher change to suit Hyena better, change to make body better."

"I'm changing to be more like... a hyena?" The panic in her voice caused Hyena to bristle.

"Fine thanks, to scoff at Hyena!" She snarled back, then lost her anger at Michelle's pained face. "Dayher's... muscley-bits lengthen and strengthen, body change to be better, stronger, happier."

The next pain flash was a baby compared to the rest and Michelle gratefully surrendered the body to Hyena, falling into sleep. Hyena purred and stroked the worn-out human in her mind, proud of her counterpart. Then she turned to the mirror.

Where once she was curvy she was leaner, more muscle, more tone. She was still low to the ground, but she found that she preferred standing on the balls of her feet instead of the heels, making her a bit taller. Her mind was sharper, her hearing and eyesight attuned perfect and her sense of smell was acute.

And she smelled Bat-thing.

She spun about, feeling gangly in Dayher's clothes, to see him leaning, a sharp, darkness in the window.

"Hyena." He practically growled, low and dark. Hyena grinned.

"Bat-thing." She answered, before sauntering around him, dropping her clothes and reaching above the shelf in the closet. Hyena was completely at ease in the nude, not caring that the lovely moonlight revealed every bit of her naked flesh. She pulled out her outfit, the white-furred cave-woman set she stole and took her time slipping into the warm costume. When she rose she felt more comfortable.

"So, you are Michelle." He said from his perch by the window. Hyena shook her head and crouched on the floor.

"Hyena. My name Hyena." While her mind now flew like Michelle's, using human words, her verbal language was dulled, mostly by a tongue more suited to growling, yipping and purring.

"Hyena." He substituted. He stood with his cape flowing and Hyena followed suit, unable to help herself, and took a few steps toward him. She lifted black-taloned tipped fingers and traced them along his buddy armor.

"Mmm. Bat-thing not who he say he was either." She said in a soft sing-song voice. Her warm yellow eyes met his, taunting. "Bat-thing be rich-man."

Immediately he reached up, clasping her upper arms and spinning her about to press her against the wall. He leaned intimidatingly against her, towering above the animalistic girl.

"You will tell no one." He growled, unnerved. Hyena met his eyes again, grinning slyly.

"No one? Bat-thing silly." She reached up and shrugged off his hands to lightly trace the tips of her talons around his exposed face. "Why Hyena keep such a big secret-thing hush hush?"

"No one will believe you." He finally insisted, backing away. Hyena yipped suddenly, barreling into him. He grappled with her a moment, but she had the surprise and soon he was underneath her, on the bed. She kneeled on either side of him, leaning over him like a cat with a mouse.

"Hyena keep big secret-thing from Dayher too. Many peoples believe Dayher. But Hyena not tell." She came down a little more, watching his mouth hungrily.

"She doesn't share your mind?" He asked quietly, intrigued. Hyena bit her lip.

"Not all times. Hyena can... slide things aside and Dayher miss them. She sleeps." She informed him, hands coming up to smooth over his shoulders, caress his chest, and just plain touch him.

"What do you want?" He finally asked. Not that Batman intended to be blackmailed, but it was good to know what other people wanted. Hyena chuckled, a deep, seductive purr that vibrated through Batman's chest. Then she slid down, laying full-length on top of him.

"To be. You keep Dayher secret, I keep rich-man secret. I only hunt rabbity-bits in the park. Stay away from humany-peoples. Don't cause big booms, or big noise and we be fine." She explained best she could, distracted by his smell, and his warmth. He seemed to think this over a minute, before he nodded.

"Deal." He got out, before she launched up and kissed him.

Not a hesitant, sweet kiss, a deep, dark, animalistic kiss. It burst through her lips, into his, wild and free. She tasted like wild honey and a bit like blood, and she moved against him sweetly. As she pulled back she nipped his lip, causing sweet metallic tasting blood to flow. Eyes mated with his she licked it up, then pulled back.

"Deals Bat-thing." She finally answered, before getting up and then she was gone, out the window. Batman was left there, on the bed, panting.

~_*_~

Hyena ran, pant, pant, pant, with fluffy-bitty tail just in front of her. The white bit teased her, and she let out a soft yipping cry, before launching herself up and over him, landing on top of the poor, frightened beastie. The rabbity-bit squirmed a minute, but Hyena broke its neck quickly and it died without pain. She took her time, ripping into the little fluffer, licking up blood and muscley-bits.

Finally she discarded the rest in a metal bin, which kept peopley-humans from screaming and making big noise. She walked, licking blood off her fingers. Hyena rarely got blood on her outfit, mainly because she had only the one. Dayher's clothes were stiff, uncomfortable and not made for Hyena.

She found herself in an area completely surrounded by trees, and here she sat, licking up the bloody mess on her face, hands, and arms. Warmed, by the blood and the chase, she was lax.

But not so lax that she missed the quiet footsteps behind her.

She continued, undisturbed. When the stalker got within a good distance she flew up, leaping onto of him, straddling the poor guy.

-but it was a girl.

Odd white faced, weird-marked girl. Hyena sat back on her haunches, trying to figure out what to make of the oddity.

"Weirdo bad-hunter girl, try to sneak-a-peak on Hyena when she not looking." She finally said, tapping the girl's nose lightly. She grinned.

"Sorry Ms. H. But Mista Jay, he really wants ta meetcha! Could ya spare a poor girl an argument and come to see him?" She asked, oddly unfazed at being under a hyena-human hybrid. Hyena paused, going over her odd way of speaking until she believed she understood. Then she bent down and sniffed the weirdo-girl.

Dusty-make-up, gun-powder, blood, and an allusive scent Hyena seemed to like. It was familiar... but she shook her head and moved away from Weirdo-girl, letting her stand. The scent held no threat to her, no lying. The girl was nonpulsed, standing and dusting herself off.

"Well, Miss H?" She asked. Hyena debated a moment before nodding and standing, moving quickly behind the Weirdo-girl.

Weirdo-girl led her through the forest, out into the more populated park areas. Hyena ducked her head and kept a strict servalence. It would do her no good to have Bat-thing find her now and decide to lie on their agreement. But soon they passed out of the park and entered a dark alleyway. There a long, old, dark purple car sat, purring. Weirdo-girl opened the door and motioned Hyena inside. Hyena obeyed, sniffing before she entered. Just the allusive, nice smell, so she slid in.

"Well! She found you! I've had my Harley-girl looking for you for a while now!" It was the white-faced man from when she first met Bat-thing! Hyena cocked her head, sniffing. His smell was the good-smell, warm and dark, blood, fear, and laughter. She liked this man. Hyena launched herself across the car and onto his lap, straddling him and sniffing his neck.

Blood, fear, hunts, dark nights, madness, guns, and laughter. Hyena inhaled him deeply, hand fisted in his green hair. She pulled away, licking her lips and half-lidding her eyes.

"Green-man sent bad-hunter Weirdo-girl to find Hyena." She repeated. He laughed out loud, adjusting himself comfortably under her. His arms met behind her, and she smelled the unmistakable scent of arousal.

"I did. Let me introduce myself. I'm Joker. My weirdo-girl is Harley Quin." He chuckled a bit. Hyena snorted.

"Harley-girl is Weirdo." She replied firmly. Joker laughed again.

"Yes, she is. So, who are you." It wasn't a question so much, but Hyena grinned ferrule, teeth sharp and white in the dim car.

"Hyena." She answered simply. Joker's eyes lit up and beneath her she could feel him harden. Arousal tinged the air. She hummed under her breath, moving dilerberatly against him.

/Hyena?/ Dayher asked groggily. Hyena paused, soothing the human in her head, /Are you okay? Whats wrong?/

/Fine, fine, Dayher. Sleep, sleep/ Hyena answered, but Dayher didn't listen.

/...Hyena?/

/Yes, Dayher?/

/...is that the Joker?/ Dayher was panicing.

/...maybe, Dayher./ Hyena sighed, then was bombarded with Dayher's panic, in her mind flashes of newspaper, TV shows, all depicting how very bad Joker was. Hyena only liked him more. Then came the memory.

The hyena's bit and retreated taking turns, never stopping. Her legs were on fire and she was forced down, to the ground. Then they bit and scratched her until she stopped moving. Fear nearly suffacated her. Her face burned where they scored a scratch. Then deep bites, dragging her across the rubble strewn cement and looking up. Her vision was encombered by blood, tears and dirt, but she saw his hair, shining in the fire-glow.

Green. Acid green hair, and a terrifying smile.

"Well, lookie here harley-girl. The boys have brought us back a little treat."

Hyena snarled, long and low. Joker hurt Dayher. Hissing, she let her talons fly, striking his cheek, before she dove out of the car and ran.


	4. Chapter 4

~_*_~

The knocking was constant, unabating. Knock, knock, knock, on her skull. She breifly wished for asprin, when she realized it was on the door. Moaning, Michelle stood, checking her appearance. Hyena, like always, had redressed her in her knee-length gray kitten nightie. Sufficiantly decent, she stumbled to the door and opened it, not removing the chain.

"Good morning Miss Brown." It was Alfred, Bruce Wayne's butlar. Michelle paused, blinking owlishly at him.

"C-can I help you Mister Alfred?" She hesitantly asked. He gave her a very polite grin.

"Yes, you can Miss Brown. Master Bruce wanted to invite you to beakfast this morning. Would you care to join?" He asked, all chipper and happy. Michelle paused again, struck silent.

"Sure...um... let me get dressed." She opened the door fully, allowing the sharply suited butlar in. "Please, forgive the mess, I... I have late nights."

"I understand completly. Master Bruce himself is afflicted in the same manner." Alfred answered warmly, viewing the disaster area. Michelle gave him a brief smile and disappeared into the bedroom.

She brushed her teeth, pulled back her hair in a knot, dressed in casual pants and button-up top, slipped on a pair of shoes and was back. In the ten minutes it took her to get ready, Alfred had cleaned her front room, her kitchen, and she distinctly smelled bleach from the bathroom. He was, right then, wearing her 'Kiss The Kook' apron holding a bag of garbage and looking distinctly embarassed.

"I appologise, Miss Brown. I find its a conditioned impulse." He explained sheepishly. Michelle shrugged, grinning.

"You can clean my house any time you want, Mr. Alfred." She answered cheekily. The old butlar gave her a relieved smile in return, removed the apron and escorted her, and her garbage down the stairs and outside. A long, elegant Rolls Royce took president over her sheepish looking sidewalk, gathering envious stares. Prim and proper, Alfred escorted her to her door, opened it and shut it smartly.

The ride to Wayne Manor was relatively quiet, consiting mostly of Michelle's unease at being called Miss Brown and Alfred's butlar training in polite and invisable. It was almost twenty-minutes later that he opened her door, smiling warmly, and escorted her into the imposing Manor.

Her last visit consisted of mainly the guest wing, and the door to the garage, which was huge. Now she was led through a maze of hallways, doors and rooms until finally Alfred opened a warm, walnut wood door.

"Master Bruce? A Miss Brown, as you requested sir." He announced. She shook off the oddness of being announced and side-stepped in.

Sitting at a rather large table was none other than Bruce Wayne. He was wearing what she thought was his casually-eating-at-home outfit, an ash-gray cashmier long-sleeved shirt and coal black slacks. It probably cost no less than five-thousand dollars. The table was groaning under the weight of about a million covered trays, each emiting tempting and seductive aromas. Bruce's warm brown eyes lit up, his full, sensual lips curved as he beconed her in.

"Ah, Miss Brown. Can I call you Michelle?" He asked. Michelle sat across from him and nodded. "Good, and you must call me Bruce. Everyone does, except for that old dodger."

"Old dodger indeed, Master Bruce. Must I remind you who irons your shorts, sir? Perhaps a little starch is in order?" Alfred came back sweetly. Michelle held back a laugh as Bruce appologised to his own butlar. After the little show, Alfred actually clapped his hands and a little round maid appeared. Literally appeared, like from thin air.

She popped around, removing lids and both her and Alfred fille dup the three plates that Michelle and Bruce had each. When they left as quickly as they came, she was left staring dow at three plates piled high with every berakfast food known to mankind.

"Don't be intimidated by it." Bruce suggested wisely. Michelle gave him a half grin.

"Obviously you've never met a twenty-year old girl, eh, Mr. Bruce?" She laughed, before begining on a stack a pancakes as tall as her hand. He laughed back, and for several minutes they ate in companionable silence. As he noticed her slow down, Bruce nodded slightly.

"So, Michelle, where do you work?" He asked casually.

"Several places. Technically I'm hired as mechanic, librarian, and nurse, but you can't quote me on that. It changes." She answered, after swallowing a big bite of biscuits and gravy. He nodded.

"Understandable. How have you been, actually? Any more fainting episodes?" Bruce straightened as she pointed her fork at him and looked him dead in the eye.

"I didn't faint, I passed out. Only big-breasted blondes being rescued by Superman and/or Batman faint. I was dignified." She warned him, half-jokingly. He laughed in response. Then she lost her amusement. "I think I'm okay. I mean... weird dreams seem to take up most of the oddness but other than that..."

"Weird dreams?" He kept his tone lightly interested and kept on eating his bacon. Michelle shrugged, setting her fork down.

"Yea, I've been having them for a while. If you noticed by newest fashion fad." She motioned to the three faded scratches on her cheek. "I was in the attack on the Park by Joker. His blasted hyena's got to me. I checked out of the hospital fine, so I guess I'm okay. Only now..."

"Now?" Bruce's intent eyes met hers, full of concern. Michelle bit her lip, the rubbed her shoulder absently, were the bite-marks burned a bit.

"I don't even know why I'm telling you this, Wayne. I mean, except for the fact that you're a millionair playboy who probably doesn't care, you know? But... I feel odd. Mostly weirdly lethargic, talking to myself in my head a lot more than usual. When it comes time for bed I just... drop off like that! No warning, and nothing until morning. Odd, I sleep so deeply, but I'm always so tired... Anyway, that can all be explained by stress." She shrugged it off, digging into a pile of golden eggs.

"You said you dreamed. About Joker?" He prodded further, tentatively.

"God, if only! No, I dream about running around Gotham half-naked and hunting rabbits." She laughed. "But I did dream about Joker the past few nights. And that crazy Doctor Lady who busted him out a while back? I forget her name, but they've been following me. In my dreams."

"Weirdo." He said plainly. Michelle laughed out loud, with Bruce chuckling. She sighed, feeling more relieved than she thought about telling someone. Not that she'd ever really tell them about Hyena being real, cause who would believe her? No, it was best that people believed her having nightmares rather than her insane. The next hour was spent lazily eating the remainder of breakfast and talking about neutral topics like politics, art, the latest movies and actors and actresses therein.

Over creamy cappichino, freshly made by the world's best butlar in the world, Bruce began another topic entirely.

"What do you think of the crimefighting crusader hereabouts?" He asked in an unnessesarily detached manner. Michelle shrugged,

"Everybody needs a hobby." She grinned, sipping her drink. "But truthfully I think he's a valuable asset. The very... idea of him I guess you could say, thta alone is enough to deter would-be criminals."

"What about Joker? Two-face? Riddler? These crimnials were created by Batman." Bruce argued, playing devils advocate.

"You could play that angle, but what do you think would happen if there was no Batman? You think the... the sickness and insanity of these criminals would just stop? Just because there is no man running around in a rubber suit? No, they would still be at large, and probably worse. With Batman here they're occupied, they become less than they would be. Joker was a crime boss wasn't he? How many people do you think he killed as a crime boss? I'll bet he's killed less as Joker hasn't he?" Michelle shrugged, setting down her empty cup. "I personally like him around. And the fact that he runs around in skintight buddy armor and leather? Absolutely no effect on my angle whatsoever."

Bruce laughed, shaking his head. Michelle had turned out to be clever, insightful and a sincerely funny companion. Nothing he could see in her manner was Hyena, in fact, she couldn't be less Hyena if she tried. She was honest, brutally honest in some points, with a clear easy-going attitude and few illusions about life that some girls still retained at her age. There were no hints at insanity, no little quirks and he was trying his best to get under her skin. But it was like a duck in water, slid right off her back.

"Do you have any family in Gotham, Michelle?" He asked finally, noticing her fidgeting.

"Hmm? No, no family. They're mostly back around Michigan, Iowa and Illinois. Where I lived before. But I finally moved away, looking for something I guess." She shrugged.

"Boyfriends?" He prodded further. Michelle gave him a wide, grin.

"Fishing about my personal life, Mr. Wayne?" She asked, cocking her head.

"I'm a notorious flirt, Miss Brown. Few women can stand fast against my wicked charm." He answered, grinning back. Laughing out loud, Michelle leaned back in her chair.

"Well, if you must know, I am currently unnattached. I have very little time for a full time guy, with all the billionarie playboys chasing after me." She teased, then glanced at her watch. "And now I have to run Bruce, I have work in an hour..."

"Of course, Michelle. Here, Alfred will take you home." Wayne stood, smiling nicely and shaking her hand.

"Thank you for the lovely breakfast." was her parting response. Bruce watched her dissappear out the door, and then outside.

~_*_~

It was only when she had watched the limo turn the corner did she fall to her knees, clutching her stomach. It ached, despite the good food Wayne had given her. A tearing agony ripped through her, curling her spine. Gasping in its wake, Michelle uncurled herself painfully and crawled along the dirty cement to the alley right beside her apartment door. She couldn't even imagine the stairs at this point.

Once in the relative dim safety of the alley, she curled into the wall behind a pair of trash cans and trembled. The pain had since given up on the wave metaphor, now it was constant, unending. She didn't even open her eyes when the pain forced her to void her stomache noisily on the ground. Hell, Michelle barely had enough mind-power to avoid laying in the vomit as the pain intesified.

Gasping in breath when she could, she heard nothing beyond the pounding of blood in her ears, her gaspy, wet panting, the thunder of her heart. Nothing, that was, until she detected the faint, scrabbling of small claws on asphalt. Bloodshot eyes opened wide as she watched a fat rat with wiskers boldly step up the her and sniff the former contents of her stomach.

Without consious thought her hand whipped out, quicker than light and snatched the chubby fellow denizen of Gotham's underground up. A deranged look entered her eyes as they tinged faintly yellow.

Twenty minutes later, when the pain ebbed, Michelle found herself sitting in a circle of half-masticated rat bodies, lined up around her like sacrafices to a vengeful god. Blood coated her body, her skin. It ran up her arms like macabre opera gloves, congealing into a sticky mess on her chin and stifening her clothes. Her vision grew black as she tilted her head back and screamed.

~_*_~

"What do we have here, sir?" a tired looking detective asked, looking into the drunk tank. A girl sat in the corner, wearing a set of GCPD sweats two sizes too big, face looking pale and sickly. Her face looked recently scrubbed and slightly pink tinged, as did her hands.

"Girl was found histerical, crying in an alley with rat bodies all around her." the beat cop explained, rubbing a hand over his unshaved chin. The detective, a handsome man in his late twenties with sandy-blonde hair and blue eyes, raised a brow.

"Thats all?" He asked, shaking his head.

"Well, not exactly. See, sir, the bodies were all half eaten, and she had blood around her mouth and all over her hands." He detailed, wincing. The Dectective grimace.

"Crazies in Gotham. Anything in the blood screen?" The detective asked, reaching for a cup of coffee and sipping it. he grimaced again, almost immediently and set the cup down again.

"Nope, sir, nothing. No drugs, no alcohal. She's clean, through and through." They began moving to the door. Then the beat cop added, almost tiredly. "Its a minor offense, cruelty to animals, and even that won't hold up. I hear that pregnant women sometimes get strange cravings."

"Yea, I heard that too. So, put your comforting face on." The detective let a smile cover his lips and opened the door. The girl's head snapped up and her wide, clear gray eyes me his.

"Hello Ms. Cavlin. Im Officer Browning and this is Detective Lancers." Officer Browning said easily, speaking slowly and calmly. Michelle looked up tiredly.

"So, are you sending me to Arkham?" She asked resignedly. It seemed she'd already come to this conclusion by herself. Detective Lancers, surprised by the odd prettiness she held and her blunt, no-nonsense way of speaking laughed a little.

"No, no, Miss. Nothing as drastic as that. Your blood results came back clean, so, you're free to go. We can set up an appointment for a psycho-analysis if you feel you need it but other than that..." Lancers shrugged, smiling charmingly. The girl frowned, then stood. He noticed suddenly how pink and beautiful her skin was, how bright and sharp her eyes were. She was in perfect health. Those rats did her good.

"Nothing was odd in the blood screen?" She repeated, questioningly. He shook his head.

"Nothing odd, or unseemly, or strange. You know, some girls get odd cravings when they're... in the family way." he added delicately. The girl couldn't stop the grin from blooming on her face.

"I doubt thats the answer, officer, but i'll make sure when i get home." She answered, still smiling, but her eyes were... haunted. Lancers returned her smile and assisted her out of the drunk tank and into a cab, before returning to his deck to fill out a report.

~_*_~

"Alfred." batman whispered, in his dark voice. The butlar appeared from just around the corner, duster in his hand.

"yes sir?" he answered, coming closer. Batman was seated in front of his computer, and a police report was pulled up on the screens. One screen showed a series of photos the other a written report. The photos depicted a girl, covered in blood. A terribly familiar girl. Alfred gasped. "My God. What happened to her?"

"She was found in the alley beside her apartment. Aparently ate several dozen rats alive before the police found her, screaming her head off." Batman summed the report up quietly.

"Good lord." Alfred managed, sincing as he saw the half-masticated rat body pictured on the first screen. "What did they make of it?"

"Possible psychosis. No prior history of it, so they let her go." Batman scrolled down and shook his head.

"Perhaps... master Wayne, with the current changes going through ehr body at the moment, she cannot handle cooked foods?" Alfred finally offered.

"Its a possibility." Batman pulled up a site on hyenas and began researching.

~_*_~


End file.
